Hail O', June!

 

Half the year is watching me...

Time indeed runs fast like a bullet ripping off your skin..

Left you puzzled..

Laughed at you, mother muffled..

Hold on, still, dear self!

Enjoy every breath you take, every move you make..

"If what one finds is made of pure matter, it will never spoil. And one can always
come back. If what you had found was only a moment of light, like the explosion of a
star, you would find nothing on your return." -- Coelho.

Why It Has to be "A Cup of Trembling"?

It was back in 2011 when I decided to change my blog's address into acupoftrembling.blogspot.com. As I recalled, I was in my favorite-class-everrr, which was American Culture and Literature, conducted by Pak Kirk Branch. I have always had and always will have an immense interest towards literature and artworks, that's why I never skipped any single meeting of these lit classes (well, wait, did I? LOL). To quote one of The Beatles' song, Across the Universe,

Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup
They slither wildly as they slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my opened mind
Possessing and caressing me
Jai Guru Deva OM~

this stanza depicts the circumstance I endured when I was attending Amlit's lectures. Coming empty-headed, going out fully-loaded and enriched with various knowledge transferred thru the discussions. Each discussion we had every week was capable enough in arousing our interest or curiosity towards each topic or story or poem. Well, this Tuesday 4-6 pm class was at first terrorize me. Why is that so? What the hey ho! I never had Pak Kirk's class before, besides, the other students enrolled in this class were typically having 'brutal' study track records and on their state of being held in high esteem and honour. One Tuesday, we were having a fascinating discussion on a short story by James Baldwin entitled "Sonny's Blues" (1957). You can download the pdf version of Sonny's Blues here. We were deciphering the closing part of it.

Sonny's Blues is a story written in the first-person singular narrative style. The story opens with the narrator, who reads about his younger brother named Sonny who has been caught in a heroin bust. The narrator then goes about his day; he is a teacher at a school in Harlem. However, he cannot get his mind off Sonny. He thinks about all the boys in his class, who don’t have bright futures and are most likely doing drugs, just like Sonny. After school, he meets a friend of Sonny’s, who tells him that they will lock him up and make him detox, but eventually he will be let out and be all alone.

I got a very vivid and open-ended interpretation from here:

At the very end of the story, the narrator has come to watch Sonny play piano at a nightclub, and it seems that he finally sees how talented his brother is. But more importantly, he also seems to see that music is a part of Sonny. It's something he has to have in his life in order to function. As a gesture of this new understanding, the narrator sends Sonny a drink, which he places above him on the piano as he plays. This creates a striking image for the narrator: "For me, then, as they began to play again, it glowed and shook above my brother's head like the very cup of trembling" (239).

The "cup of trembling" is a biblical reference from the Book of Isaiah 51:22 

Thus saith thy Lord the Lord, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again.

Scholars and critics tend to interpret this passage as God's expression of forgiveness and humankind's opportunity for redemption – God has essentially removed the temptation that initially created his anger. For this reason literary critics often read the ending of "Sonny's Blues" as a symbol of Sonny's redemption. 

After hearing and trying to decode this message infused, I felt like I was going under a spell. It shed a light on me then finally I started blogging again and changed my blog's address into this cup of trembling thingy. Referring to this allusion, I got the illusion of getting myself redeemed and was removed from something perilous. Speaking of which, I don't want to just feel the ambiance of this allusion, to drown in the act of deluding; deception by creating illusory ideas, but also to create, post, and savor feasible ideas of perfection brings forth in imperfections. 

AMERICAN CULTURE AND LITERATURE YEAR 2011 FULL CASTS:

  

from left to right:
Adit (big guy wearing stripes shirt)
One of the SoE's Three Musketeers. (sorry, I forget your name, pal.....)
Mas 2006ers. (I also forget his name :D)
Ogie (black jacket)
Ligar (grey tees and stripes jacket)
ADI PRATAMA, meeen! (stripes shirt)
Kokoh 2006ers. (lali, aku laliii)
Pak Kirk Branch
The always happy and cheerful, the famous George (bald, skinhead)
The joyful noise! Wida (hands on cheek)
Partner in crime, Antonia (chubby!)
Christian (Nike jacket)

the crouchings, left to right:
The Man of the Match! Offin
Dewi
The Scholar! Ikka (flowery shirt)
Dian
Butet
Cutest friend! Konjel (blue flannel)
MEH! Nyssa :)))))))

down on their knees, left to right:
2007ers
mba 2006ers
The popular gal, Yuandhita:)))

Traveling 101: Trippy Trip to University of Indonesia

le maiden voyage of happ(y)ness in between. :)

courtesy of

victorpuguh.blogspot.com

pa' okky 

Super Sunny Sunday

March 30th, 2014 

Serpong Peacefully Earth (BSD-red, ini maksa banget, hahaha) - Universitas Studiorum Indonesiensis

Southern Tangerang Terror (what the hey ho?), Banten - Depok, West Java

tareexx jankreex~

how happy is the blameless vestal lot... *Alexander Pope~

mumma and dadda! #oopsie #peaceout :P

sweet braces ;)

"I'm counting to three," said the camera. "THREE! That wasn't me, I swear to God." *tripod crossed* LOL.

the girl in skyblue shirt, wait, is that Mau-Dy Ayun, Nda? MEHEHE *YOU WISH* 

levitation, first trial. 

levitation, second trial.

levitation, third trial.

silly lil thing that we are~~~

you gotta be kidding meeehhh~

all credits belong to pa' victor!
:D

audrey :)

@Antoniatztztz :)

mba Try :)

michelle :)

pa' victor :)

eron :)

pa' kris :)

pa' bayu :)

audrey, me, and antonia :)

me moi being narcissistic #1 8')

me moi being narcissistic #2 8')

kapan kita kemana? :)))))))))

"How happy is the blameless vestal's lot! The world forgetting by the world forgot. Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind! Each pray'r accepted and each wish resign'd." -- The Poem "Eloisa to Abelard" by Alexander Pope.

The quote I picked was actually about a story of tragic love affair, where forgetfulness became the heroine's only comfort. I don't take it way too serious. Those lines were my favorite ones ever since I watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. We're forgetting by we forgot. At least it could lessen our burdens. :)

Traveling 101: Trippy Trip to Bandoengsche

Been drowning here and there by the piles of students' werk, finally I could step into this undeniably sweet escapism.

 

Couple weeks ago, I got the chance to visit the absobloodylootely indiest city in Indonesia, BANDOENGSCHE (((so far, AFAIK, IMHO))) I've been waiting like forever for those days to come. Me and my truly amazing friends @Antoniatztztz and @cicuph have planned to stay in Bandung for 3 days and two nights. T'was a some-sorta backpacker trip, so we have sorted places we'd like to pay a brief visit without paying too much. hahaha. Since @cicuph lives in Bandung, we took an advantage of getting her as a for-free tour guide *fingers crossed~

First thing we did before we sailed there was finding a hostel or motel to stay, at affordable price, of course.We ended up at Samudra Hotel. It's located on Cihampelas 274. We spent IDR 340k for 3 days 2 nights. The room's quite neat and clean for an un-air-conditionered one (Bandung is already freezing cold in the morning and at night). The rate included 2 breakfast set for 2 days. We were cautious openly distrustful and unwilling to confide what hotel we stayed in. Why? Because we saw lotsa young love birds came in back and forth. I was kinda (((kepo))) so I took a long fixed look at their ring fingers, intending to see a ring, but there's nothing. So the telly apparently got it right. Moral degradation. Present generation. It might be you, might be me. Blimey.

The place to sleep: CHECK.

How to get there  : RANDOM.

Up until the night before we off to Bandung, we haven't booked the travel agent who supposed to bring us there. Oh crap. We dashed into the nearest travel agent and no more seats left. great. Out of nowhere, I got an omen. The only hope. We finally reached the other travel agent. Thank goodness there were two seats left, but they were at the very back and would go at the very late schedule, we said no probs and nailed it. This cost us to pay more, tho. But that's fine, the thing was, how to get these ass off to Bandung! YEA.

Day #1

it took us 3 hours from BSD to Bandung. we arrived there around 7 pm. bloody starving. after met up with @cicuph, @Antoniatztztz and I decided to find something to eat, checked in at the hotel, and walked to Ciwalk, which is supposed to be walked around. 

Day #2

We woke up quite early that day. @omuniuum was the scheduled place to drop by. It was a small shop sells various books, records from indie artist and singers, and also indie bands' merchs. @Antoniatztztz was the one who urged us to go there. She said she wanted to buy some CDs for her partner. What kinda partner? Don't ask me any further. It's absurd. Strikingly absurd. LOL.

Actually, I didn't have any plan to buy something here, but the stuffs are SPARKLES. So I decided to buy a @bottlesmoker tees for IDR 125k. 

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT, GOT THE T-SHIRT (LITERALLY) 

GIGA LOL!

Done with the shopping thingy, we took the angkot to Braga. As we all know, Bandung is widely-known as the place where amounts of Dutch colonial architectural buildings began and flourished; particularly the tropical Art Deco architectural style. Braga street's so astounding and overwhelmingly impressive. 

The deprivation for food seemingly came and stroke back, so we hurried ourselves to Warung Misbar. An eating place which fosters a warm or friendly and informal atmosphere designated in an oldschool-like movie theater. It supplies us traditional Sundanese food, tastes quite good and at a good price too. We were welcomed by gigantic vintage movie posters at the facade and inside, right in the middle, there's a giant screen played vintage movies and surrounded by giant posters of legendary actors and actresses.

IT'S TIME TO HAVE OUR FAITH RECHARGED. :))

@ St. Laurentius Church, Sukajadi.

Next destination was Paris Van Java mall. I didn't take many pictures in here. It's just normal TOFF-Class shopping avenue. I stepped into this popular shoe-store, tried the boots and took off, hahaha.

We waited for another angkot to take us to Dipatiukur street but it didn't appear for long. Walking is not an option but we were starving to death. we were about to have a munch of the famous and scrumptious Surabi Bandung. it is indeed extremely pleasing to the sense of taste.

We have another appointment with another friend, Surya, or Mas Sur, I recalled. After having our mouth and tummy fully loaded, we headed to Gasibu.

On our way back home to the hotel, we encounter an unpleasant moment in which we were involved in an unexpectedly car accident. Our car hit another car and Mas Sur had to pay for the damage. Uh I'm terribly sorry for that...

Day #3
Gasibu in the morning. Everyone's there. I couldn't barely breathe. Unfortunately I didn't make it. I didn't go to the most popular flea market around Indonesia, GEDEBAGE :((((((((
But I got this, for only IDR 30k.

Batagor KirCon was our lunch menu that day. IDR 15k you got 3 jumbo batagor. Magnifying.

The last destination...
Cimuncang, where @cicuph resides.

I think I need to get another inclination to retreat from unpleasant realities through diversion or fantasy for the sake of my mental's health. LOL.